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WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017: Legacy Inductees Good or Bad?

Rumors have circulated from Dave Meltzer, which have announced the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Legacy inductees. This marks the second year in a row where WWE have added many deceased trailblazers from the actual golden era (before 1970s) in a short compact, non celebratory way in a group.

Hey look, Lou Thesz got 15 seconds! Woot! 15 Seconds!

I fully support Thesz, Hackenschmidt, Gotch, Burke and all the others joining the Hall of Fame. They all deserve to be in any legitimate wrestling Hall of Fame and frankly, are in all other wrestling Hall of Fames. Their inclusion (likely there is Triple H’s influence here), is a good step and its a legitimizing step. The WWE Hall of Fame is saying: “WE are THE Wrestling Hall of Fame, just now we call it “sports entertainment.”

All the good about these inductions aside, the WWE did this very poorly last year. Firstly, they didn’t announce it ahead of time (something they are guilty of so far this year as well.) and its inclusion came out the day before the ceremony because of a t-shirt. A t-shirt.

This T-shirt

These legends of the ring, combined, are some of the biggest box office draws in history. Yet, they weren’t shown that respect. The video lasts about 3 minutes. We saw more time being given to Snoop Dog, a celebrity whose inclusion, falls into the ‘bonkers celebrity division”, populated previously by Drew Carey, Arnold Schwarzenegger and William Perry.

I was surprised last year that Legacy inductees are included in the Hall (as Warrior Award nominees are not included on actual list), yet WWE.com proves it with profiles on their website. These inductees, despite their brief mention, are full-fledged members. So let’s take a look at another group on WWE Legacy inductees who are now going to be in the Hall of Fame, Class of 2017.

Luther Lindsay was the one on this list that I knew absolutely nothing about. The name didn’t even ring a bell.

Lindsay, according to Wikipedia, was a regional talent throughout the late 50s, the 60s, and the 70s until 1971 where he had a heart attack in the ring, dying.

Lindsay existed in the world of regional wrestling, a product of the early territories. His only attachment to the WWE was a brief run for Capitol Wrestling Federation, owned by Jess McMahon. Yes, Vince McMahon’s grandfather.

So why did I rate Luther, the wrestler I didn’t know, whose career was cut short, so high?

Well, its simple. Luther Lindsay, was a successful regional wrestler, in the 1950s and 1960s. That was tough for an African-American star. It took strength and perseverance for Lindsay to succeed and not only that, but challenge Dory Funk Jr. for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Haystacks Calhoun would already be in the WWE Hall of Fame, if he had lived until the 1990s. WWF, at the time began its Hall of Fame in 1993 (with Andre) and 1994 properly, with its first ceremony. Calhoun fits the mold of who was included in those classes. Baron Mikel Scicluna and Johnny Rodz got in due to many long time WWWF stars being deceased. Calhoun might have gotten in regardless, if WWE had continued the Hall between 1997-2003, something unlikely due to the Monday Night Wars, Attitude Era and whatever the Invasion was.

Calhoun was one of the first very successful big men for the WWWF. He was huge, and an attraction. He is even a former WWWF Tag Team Championship. Not bad for a guy who’s gimmick was as a fat farmer.

Think of him as a more successful Uncle Elmer.

But better.

Haystacks attraction status is real and was at the time memorable, ala Andre the Giant. Easy choice, easy inductee.

Farmer Burns inclusion is fun, but kind of silly. You see, there was a time in wrestling when everyone thought wrestling was real. It was kayfabe era. It began in the time when professional wrestling changed from being actual fighting like boxing, to being a predetermined “sport” . Farmer Martin Burns comes from the legit sport era.

Like Ed “Strangler” Lewis, and George Hackensmidt, Burns was a legit wrestler. Yes, apparently people used to pay to see this?

Anyhow, the irony aside, WWE seems to want to include all wrestlers and Farmer Burns is in all other main wrestling Hall of Fames.

Welcome to the Hall, Farmer Martin Burns, a man who could kick everyone’s ass.

Dr. Jerry Graham fits into the group of former WWWF golden stars who likely would have eventually made it in at some point. His inclusion here, is more surprising to me, as I always assumed that men like Graham would get proper inductions. It’s almost like using the Legacy Award to induct Lord Alfred Hayes or Ivan Koloff.

Graham had a career with the WWWF. He was a 9 time tag team champion, many of those with Eddie Graham, current WWE Hall of Famer. He is also mostly known for his time with WWWF, making him an easy induction.

Jerry Graham is just as much an originator of the Graham family name, one of the most copied “family names” in wrestling.

Hey, Superstar Billy Graham is supposed to be related to this guy.

He’s not.

Jerry Graham is a welcome addition. (Looks like I’m likely this Legacy Class)

Judy Grable was a semi-successful women’s wrestler in the 1950s and 1960s. She was trained by the first female inductee, The Fabulous Moolah and did have a long career, lasting for almost 20 years in the profession.

The issue at hand is that women’s wrestling, for the most part, in the 50s and 60s was an attraction, not treated as legitimate as their male counterparts.

This is why Mildred Burke and Fabulous Moolah remained the champions for so long. Those were the stars. Grable helped, but has been largely forgotten since.

June Byers was a big deal in her time. She held the Women’s World Title for 10 years, broaching the time period between long time champion Mildred Burke and future long time champion Fabulous Moolah.

After a supposed “shoot” fight with Mildred Burke, where Byers was declared women’s world champion, Byers defended the title all across the NWA. She was her generation’s female Gene Kiniski, a solid worker, who was over with the crowd enough to bring her “attraction” status to its height.

The historically important women should be in the Hall of Fame. Mildred Burke was last year, so June Byers was the next logically missing female.

Rikidozan should be inducted on his own. He is that important. A Korean born wrestler, Rikidozan is credited with bringing wrestling to Japan.

I’ll say that again, without Rikidozan, there is no Antonio Inoki, no Tatsumi Fujinami, no Giant Baba. Those three are considered to be there of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling history. Rikidozan still drawfs many of them, as he trained them. (Inoki and Baba). Rikidozan is also one of the few men to defeat Lou Thesz legitimately during his prime. He defeated Thesz for the NWA International Title in 1958.

He is also credited with opening the first Japanese promotion with the JWA, Japanese Pro Wrestling Alliance.

If he hadn’t been murdered by the Japanese mafia in 1963, it is likely Rikidozan would be remembered as even more of a force in wrestling.

He is a legend who every major wrestling fan should look up and enjoy.

Toots Mondt was both Jess and Vince McMahon Sr.’s partner in the Capitol Wrestling and WWWF until his death.

Although he was a well known wrestler in his time, his force as a promoter is what he is best known for.

He’s the one in between those you know

He is a strange inclusion here, as it was likely in the 1990s that Toots would have been included on his own. He opens the possibility than Jess McMahon, Jack Tunney, Bob Giegel, or Leroy McGuirk among others.

Mondt is credited with helping to create such huge stars as Bruno Sammartino, Antonio Rocca and Stu Hart. He’s the man who helped bring the generation which gave us Vince McMahon Jr and WWF 1980s.

This legacy class, like last years is a welcome addition. If WWE continues this, it is likely within 5 years that WWE will be able to consider itself the real, true and full wrestling Hall of Fame. Now, if they could only open a building somewhere…

2 thoughts on “WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017: Legacy Inductees Good or Bad?”

I personally think the legacy hall of fame is a bad idea.
No disrespect meant to the early founders of wrestling but it was a VERY different game back then, almost a legit shoot fight sport in a carnival atmosphere.
I also think a video package just does not cut it.
There are some legacy inductees that I think belong in the actual WWE HOF, Lou Thesz was a crossover star and NWA stalwart in the early days of pro wrestling as we know it.
I am surprised that Dr Jerry Graham and Haystacks Calhoun was not inducted into the regular WWE HOF years ago as they were early features of the then WWWF so they came after the whole pre television era that the legacy HOF supposedly honours.
I personally do not view legacy Hall of famers as WWE Hall of famers, it is very much a separate entity.
All those names definitely deserve induction in the pro wrestling HOF, but they are such a different genre to be in the WWE HOF.